Mental Well-Being and Engagement in the Arts
Public health researchers at the University of Western Australia examined the relationship between recreational arts engagement and mental well-being in the general population. The results, which have implications for policy makers as well as health practitioners, indicate that those who engage with the arts for two or more hours per week have significantly better mental well-being.
International Research Team Proposes a New Taxonomy of Mental Disorders
New data interpreted to suggest a hierarchical, dimensional system of mental disorders will aid future research efforts and improve mental health care.
Racial Discrimination Associated With Psychotic Symptoms
A study of 650 immigrant and racial & ethnic minority young adults in the United States finds that psychotic symptoms are significantly correlated with...
Therapy More Effective than Medications for Anxiety — Placebos Also Effective
One-on-one Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is better than psychiatric medications or other common psychotherapeutic interventions for severe anxiety disorders in adults, according to a large...
Higher Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia Linked to Lower Risk of Psychotic Experiences
Research from the universities of Cardiff, Cambridge and Bristol finds no evidence of a link between genetic associations with schizophrenia and adolescent psychotic experiences....
More Evidence Antipsychotics Reduce Brain Volume
People diagnosed with schizophrenia experience reductions in brain volume that increase over time, and the amount of those reductions increases in proportion to the...
New “Binge Eating Disorder” Drug Generating Controversy
The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved uses of an ADHD drug to make it the first-ever drug
treatment for "binge-eating disorder."
Antidepressant Trials Last Eight Weeks, So Why Do We Take Them for Years?
The studies are of short duration and are riddled with methodological issues like unblinding and failure to assess withdrawal.
“Justina’s Law” seeks to curb experimentation on foster children
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers have introduced a bill called "Justina's Law" to limit federal funding for medical research involving foster children, according...
Measuring How Mental Health Professionals See Service Usersâ Rights
A new scale has been developed and validated to examine beliefs held by mental health professionals towards service usersâ rights.
“Give the Data to the People”
Harlan Krumholz, director of Yale University's Open Data Access Project (YODA), writes in the New York Times about YODA's agreement to oversee release of Johnson...
Nursing Home Director Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Medicating Residents With Psychotropic...
The former director of a California nursing home has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for inappropriate medication of 23 individuals. All of...
Air Pollution Linked to Mental Health Problems in Children
A new study, published in BMJ Open-Access this week, found a significant link between the level of air pollution in a community and the mental health of the children living there. After controlling for socio-economic status and other potential variables, researchers in Sweden discovered a strong association between the concentration of air pollution in a neighborhood and the amount of âantipsychoticâ and psychiatric drugs prescribed to children. The link remained strong even at pollution levels well below half of what is considered acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Brain Imaging Reveals Psychiatric Disorders are Not Neurological Disorders
Some researchers have been arguing to reclassify all psychiatric disorders as diseases of the brain and nervous system, similar to epilepsy or Parkinson's disease. Neuroimaging research, however, reveals that psychiatric disorders appear to be distinct from neurological disorders, according to a new study published in this monthâs issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Depression Discrimination More Severe in High Income Countries
According to a study published in this monthâs British Journal of Psychiatry, people diagnosed with depression in high-income countries are more likely to limit...
Antipsychotics Associated with Severe COVID-19 and Fatal Outcomes
A new study has found a strong association between antipsychotic drugs and higher rates of severe cases of COVID-19.
Less-impaired Youth Using Antipsychotics with Other Medications More Often
Use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) alongside other medications is growing rapidly among youth who are less impaired, according to a study published online in...
Pain Meds Reduce Dementia Symptoms
British researchers find that a 10% increase in pain medication resulted in a dramatic reduction in the use of antipsychotic and other medications. âWhen...
Drug Regulator Destroys Licensing Data After 15 Years
The Sunday Times of London reports on Peter Gotzsche's efforts to obtain pharmaceutical licensing data before the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)...
Report on University of Minnesota Psychiatric Research Practices “Scathing”
The latest investigative report into the University of Minnesota's psychiatric research practices was "scathing," reported Forbes in a two-part story.
Psychotropics Drive Record 4.02 Billion U.S. Prescriptions in 2011
With drugs for ADHD increasing 17%, and an "unprecedented increase in patients taking antidepressants and antipsychotics," overall prescription drug sales in the United States...
“Serious Breakdown” on Cymbalta Withdrawal Warnings
"The last four years have seen a 90% increase in the number of serious adverse drug reports received by the Food and Drug Administration," according to a report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices." Among them, a "signal" that Cymbalta causes "an array of problems such as crying, suicidal ideation, and anger, and other symptoms including effects on appetite and weight gain."
Smoking Cessation Drug Suspected in 30 Suicides in Canada
The Pfizer drug has also been linked to more than 1,300 incidents of suicide attempts or thoughts, depression, and aggression/anger across the country in the past seven years.
Despite Claims, EPA Supplement Does Not Improve ADHD Symptoms in Youth
A new study reports that the supplement EPA improved ADHD symptoms but a closer look calls these results into question.
Study Finds SSRIs Associated with Increased Risk for Violent Crime
Study finds an apparent connection between SSRIs, the most commonly prescribed type of antidepressant, and increased risk of violent crime.